Beth Orton announces ‘The Ground Above’ + drops new single ‘Waiting’

Beth Orton is back, and she sounds absolutely unbothered by gravity. The beloved British singer-songwriter has announced her new album ‘The Ground Above’, due June 26th via Partisan Records — and she’s leading the charge with a gorgeous new single, Waiting.

The track is a slow-burning, life-affirming thing, carrying echoes of Laura Nyro, Carole King, and Orton’s early collaborator Terry Callier. Orton describes it as “a celebration of moving out of the holding pattern fear keeps us in“ — and honestly, it hits. There’s humor woven into the heartbreak here, which is very much a Beth Orton move.

An Album in Two Halves

‘The Ground Above’ is structured as a kind of emotional journey — the first half fragmented and searching, the second opening up into warmer, more expansive melodic territory. Songs like Before I Knew dig into questions of agency and survival, while Cigarette Curls (featuring Nick Hakim) channels formative memory and friendship through a present-day sonic lens. Closer to the album’s end, tracks like Celestial Light and I’ll Miss You move toward acceptance and fragility — the kind of emotional terrain Orton navigates better than almost anyone working today.

Like its acclaimed predecessor ‘Weather Alive’ (2022), the new album is self-produced by Orton — a year-long sculpting process built from live collective recordings. She’s working again with a killer crew: multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, drummer Tom Skinner, drummer Chris Vatalaro (Antibalas, Radiohead), bassist Tom Herbert, Dave Okumu, and more. The result is a record that feels alive and instinct-led, like the songs are being discovered right as they unfold.

Tracklist

1. The Ground Above
2. Before I Knew
3. Cigarette Curls
4. Waiting
5. Celestial Light
6. I’ll Miss You
7. Love You Right
8. Otherside

Tour Dates

Orton is also hitting the road this fall for a full US and UK headline run. Catch her at these dates:

Sep 15 — Washington, DC — The Miracle Theatre
Sep 16 — Philadelphia, PA — Baby Grand
Sep 18 — New York, NY — Le Poisson Rouge
Sep 19 — Somerville, MA — Crystal Ballroom (Somerville Theatre)
Sep 20 — Turners Falls, MA — Shea Theater
Sep 22 — Toronto, ON — The Concert Hall
Sep 23 — Detroit, MI — El Club
Sep 24 — Chicago, IL — Old Town School of Folk Music
Sep 26 — Minneapolis, MN — Parkway Theater
Sep 28 — Los Angeles, CA — Troubadour
Sep 30 — San Francisco, CA — Great American Music Hall
Oct 2 — Portland, OR — The Old Church
Oct 3 — Seattle, WA — Washington Hall
Jul 23–26 — Suffolk, UK — Latitude Festival
Oct 12 — Brighton, UK — Concorde 2
Oct 13 — Manchester, UK — Stoller Hall
Oct 14 — Nottingham, UK — Rescue Rooms
Oct 16 — Leeds, UK — Howard Assembly Room
Oct 17 — Glasgow, UK — St. Luke’s
Oct 19 — Bristol, UK — Trinity Centre
Oct 21 — Norwich, UK — Arts Centre
Oct 22 — London, UK — Alexandra Palace Theatre

‘The Ground Above’ is out June 26th on Partisan Records. Pre-order/pre-save it now and go stream Waiting immediately — you’ll thank yourself later.